A blueprint is a set of instructions for building a structure produced to an appropriate and accurate scale to inform the details and dimensions of a project — useful to be sure.  

A blueprint can be viewed through two lenses. The first is to focus on the result embodied in a completed project, while the second perspective is to recognize without action that transforms the plan into reality, the blueprint is but a dream. Furthermore, nearly every complex project in history did not conform perfectly to the plans: cost and availability of materials, unforeseen circumstances such as changes in regulations or codes; scope creep of the project; or disruptions due to weather, labor availability, mistakes in design or construction contribute to variance from the proposal.

Ranching is a complex organization in which blueprint creation and implementation are required in many realms — breeding program development, business planning, herd management, grazing systems, preventative health protocols, staff recruiting, skill development and succession planning to name a few.  

For seedstock and commercial cow-calf enterprises, constructing a genetic improvement and breeding program requires the same dual focus as a general contractor; planning based on desired outcomes plus developing the capacity to adjust to variances as the plan is put into action. The seedstock producer’s first step is to clearly understand the needs of their customers as well as the barriers that limit the level of profitable performance in any number of traits. The second is to establish acceptable ranges of performance indicators that offer customers the best possible opportunity to incorporate genetic input purchases into the dynamic conditions that affect their herds. 

Because the production environment is diverse and constantly changing, neither the seedstock producer nor commercial cow-calf operator can expect to build breeding plans without acknowledging that genetic improvement is more journey than achievement.

Market signals alone assure that those creating breeding plans must be prepared to shift course due to changes along the supply chain that reach from beef consumer to producer. In the 1980s, many industry leaders declared war on fat as the supply chain began to discriminate against excessive backfat and the industry went to work to reduce waste fat. But in their zeal, they reduced taste fat to the point that consumer satisfaction relative to the beef eating experience was significantly reduced, and the need for increased focus on marbling rose to the forefront. Acceptable levels of birth weight, mature weight, milk production and other traits have also been in flux over time.  

Thus the notion of a one-and-done blueprint for a genetic improvement program is not credible nor workable. To create the agility and resilience of a functional approach requires viewing genetic selection and mating systems not as outcomes, but as journeys and pathways capable of adapting and adjusting to variances caused by macroeconomic forces such as market demands, weather, shifts in supply chain dynamics and a host of other chaotic forces. Additionally, there are the microforces of change stemming from the unique needs and conditions of customers.  

Consideration of the breeding program, measurement and analysis of progress and change, plus recurring evaluation of external forces demands that while mating season may be assigned to a dedicated period, the work of creating, modifying and executing the breeding program blueprint is ongoing in every season.  

When cattle producers turn their creativity and energy to the important and vital work of creating generations — the blueprint is a map of exploration and discovery that captures both the decisions of the past and the dreams of the future. There is no more important undertaking than this endeavor.

Editor’s note: Tom Field is a rancher from Parlin, Colo., and the director of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.